Hide & Seek
by Isollde
Summary: The adventures of Isollde, My character in FFXI.  I took some liberities with the storyline and characters of FFXI.  CnC please! :D
1. Chapter 1

Hide & Seek: The Beginning 

_ 7... 8... 9... 10!! Ready or not, here we come..._

Isollde pulled her tiny legs into her chest, attempting futilely to keep the warmth in her body. The damp stickiness from the mud had seeped through her thick cloak and underclothes. Shivering almost uncontrollably, Isollde peeked through the leaves of her hiding place. The screaming had died down now. The charge of running footsteps had quieted. Almost everyone had been caught.  
_  
I hope, I get to be it soon. I don't like all this hiding._ Isollde thought to herself, sourly. She readjusted herself, trying to warm up, and bring circulation back to her limbs. Maybe it was safe to move now... no. She shook the thought from her mind. Isollde had promised her mother, before she left.

_"You're not to move from this spot. Do you understand, __Lala__?" _Her mother's words echoed in her mind softly. "A promise is a promise." she mumbled, dejectedly.

It had been nearly a day since, Isollde's mother had left to find her brother, and father. They had been split up, back in Li'ein. That's where The Game had started, three days ago.

_**1 Day Ago...**_

_Low branches whipped across __Altia's__ face, leaving stinging little scratches across her face and neck. She didn't flinch or falter in her steps; there were more important things to worry about then a few scrapes and cuts._

"Mom..." and exasperated little voice, whispered from behind her."Mom... please... "Isollde was struggling to keep step with her mother. Her small fingers clutched onto her mothers hand.   
_  
"Just a bit further, my love. We're almost safe." __Altia__ returned her attention to __maneuvering__ her way through the dense forest._ _It had been a little over two days, since the attack on __Li'ein__. It had come early in the morning, catching the entire city by surprise. Their family had been __separated__ in the panic, __Tornin__ and her son had run to the Northwest village of __To'ladr__ hoping for a safe place to escape._

_Altia__ couldn't think of that now. There were __orc's__ roaming these woods, looking for anything and everything that may have escaped. "__Lala__, there should be a place to __rest up__ here. Just try and keep up please."_

Her small daughter heaved breaths tiredly, doing her best to keep the pace her mother was setting. _Altia__ barely noticed the branches scraping __against__ her skin now. The cold air, and on constant stinging had made her body almost completely numb._

_Altia__ sucked in oxygen as fast as her lungs could handle without giving out on her. The thick under brush of the forest was finally starting to give way, and open up some. The canopy above them was spreading out. She could see hints of early morning sunlight poking through the swaying branches. __Altia__ slowed her pace a slightly, studying the area around them looking for a place to finally stop._

"Mommy... please... I... can't..." _Isollde__ stopped running and fell onto the forest floor. Her breaths staggered and gulping. __Altia__ looked away; she had hoped her children would never see this day. "I ... thought this... was...just a game..." she managed to say __in between__ breaths._

A _shaky__ smile crossed __Altia's__ face. "Yes, but isn't the point of any game to win it?" She looked down at __Isollde__. She looked much younger then 5 years old. Dirt and mud covered her clothes and face. Her usually neat braids were lop-sided and filled with twigs and leaves._

"But I like being It! Being the Seeker is much more fun then hiding." _Altia__ laughed. Her daughter's squeaky little precocious voice always made her smile. __Isollde__ believed her logic was unfaltering._

"I'm afraid it's not as simple as all that, dear. When you get a bit older, we can discuss this more. For now, please, let's move to a safe spot." She picked _Isollde__ up, and carried her to a near-by clearing she had spotted._

Pacing the clearing a few times, _Altia__ finally found a place to hide her daughter. She needed to get to __To'ladr__ to find her husband and son before anyone else did. She let __Isollde__ down in a large bush. "Now, don't move a second. I want to make sure you aren't seen."_

_Isollde__, nodded to her mother, and stayed completely still. "Can you see me?" __Altia__stepped__ back and looked hard at the bush her daughter was laying in. She was so small. You couldn't see her if you tried._

"No, an expert hider, as always _Lala__!" She heard a soft giggle as she walked back to __Isollde__. "Now, this is very important sweetheart. You're not to move from this spot. Do you understand, __Lala__?" __Isollde__ nodded obediently. "Yes ma'am."_

"I'll be back when I've found your father and brother, I promise. Just wait for me, and stay hidden." _Altia__ looked into her daughter's large dark brown eyes. She memorized every speck of dirt on her face, every dimple, every scratch. "I love you, __Lala__."_


	2. Chapter 2

Hide & Seek: The Wait 

_"I love you __Lala__..."_ Her mother had said this with such sadness. Isollde didn't understand. When The Seekers came into Li'ein her mother had told her it was only a game.

_"Just a big game of Hide and Seek, __Lala__. Nothing to be afraid of."_ But the look on her face had said otherwise. A game doesn't last this long... and when Triem and her had played hide and seek with the other Li'ein children, there had never been so much screaming... or spell casting... or orc's.

She was missing something. Even her young mind could see; the pieces didn't match up. Isollde pulled her cloak tighter around her, thinking over the situation. The sun was just slipping through the canopy of the forest for the first time. Its slivers of yellow light, danced back and forth over the clearing floor, making new shadows and shapes that were changing every minute.

"I've been here all night..." Isollde muttered to herself. Her eyes began welling up with tears. It was a mixture of things, anger, hunger, frustration, and confusion. Not fear though. She had always been a little too stubborn to be afraid. "It can't take this long to get to To'ladr and back..."

She sat quiet for a minute almost waiting for someone with a better answer to speak up. Her stomach lurched up and down, protesting in anger from lack of food. "Oh hush you..." She was in no mood.

Isollde cupped her face in her hands, still considering The Game, and The Seekers. She had always been told the Orc's were not a friendly group to get too close to... so why would they want to play any game with anyone? Unfriendly people never seemed to have the knack for games.

She sighed to herself again, "This is just silly, and I'm leaving!" Isollde said almost as if trying to convince herself it was the right thing to do. _"But what __about your__ promise, __Lala__?"_ A small voice inside her spoke up, finally.

"It doesn't matter what I promised. She isn't coming back. She was caught, with the others. This can't be game!" She whispered back to the voice, her eyes now brimming over with salty tears. _"But why would Mommy say it was a game when it wasn't? Mother's don't lie, ya know!"_ The voice inside her rebutted back.

Isollde's tiny fists were balled up and digging into the dirt. "SHE ISN'T COMING BACK! IF SHE WAS SHE'D BE **HERE**!" She screamed into the empty clearing. Her small voice bounced off the trees and came back to her. The voice inside of her had no answer for this. There was only silence now, that was broken every once in a while by her own sob, or hiccup.

She wasn't coming back... could that really be true? Isollde looked out into the clearing again. _"I'll be back for you as soon as I find your father and brother, I promise..."_ Her mother had promised... _"Just wait for me and stay hidden..." _


End file.
